The government of Syrian President Bashar Assad is no longer in danger of falling, the leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group said in an interview with a Lebanese newspaper.

In an interview with daily newspaper As-Safir, Hassan Nasrallah also said the threat of bombings in Lebanon "has dropped considerably" because of the "measures adopted along the Lebanese-Syrian border."

Hezbollah militants have been fighting alongside Syrian government troops against the rebels trying to oust Assad from power. The Shiite group's fighters were instrumental in helping Assad's forces dislodge opposition fighters from their strongholds along the countries' border.

However, Hezbollah's public role in the 3-year-old conflict has inflamed sectarian tensions in Lebanon. While Hezbollah backs Assad, the country's Sunni Muslims support the Syrian rebels.

Santa Barbara, Calif.

Huge California party spirals into a clash

About 100 people were arrested and at least 44 people were taken to the hospital during a weekend college party in Southern California that devolved into a rock- and bottle-throwing melee, forcing police to fire tear gas and foam projectiles to break up the crowd.

The violence broke out near the University of California at Santa Barbara in the densely populated beachside community of Isla Vista around 9:30 p.m. Saturday during the annual spring break party known as Deltopia, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's office said. The unsanctioned event drew about 15,000 people.

The crowd got unruly when a campus officer arrested someone who hit him in the face with a backpack filled with large bottles of alcohol, authorities said.

Elsewhere

San Diego: A three-month house arrest ended Sunday for former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, who resigned in August after less than nine months in office amid a torrent of sexual harassment allegations from numerous women. He fulfilled a sentence for felony false imprisonment and two misdemeanor charges of battery involving victims of sexual harassment, his lawyer Earll Pott told local media.

New Zealand: Britain's Prince William and his wife, Kate, arrived in New Zealand's capital of Wellington today to cheers from locals who faced rainy weather to catch a glimpse of the royal couple. The royal couple, who are traveling with baby son, George, are kicking off a three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia.